1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to dermatology and more particularly to a method and device for aiding in screening populations of patients for skin cancer.
2. Background Information
Skin cancer, the most deadly form of which is melanoma, typically is diagnosed by a dermatologist examining pigmented skin lesions (colloquially known as “moles”) and/or other skin abnormalities on a patient. Typically, a dermatologist makes a determination based on visual inspection of each skin lesion's morphology, whether it is likely to be skin cancer or a potential precursor of skin cancer. This determination is made in the context of a patient's clinical history, risk factors for skin cancer, and other information. The dermatologist then decides if a pigmented lesion should the excised for histopathological evaluation.
Cutaneous melanoma starts growing in the top layer of the skin—the epidermis. If it is detected and completely removed while still confined to the epidermis, it can be completely cured, and has a very high cure rate if it has just entered the next skin layer, the papillary dermis. Thus screening and early detection are critical to lowering the morbidity and mortality of this cancer that has been increasing rapidly in incidence and is one of the most common cancers of young people, especially young women.
In 1992 a Consensus Conference sponsored by the National Institutes of Health recommended that skin cancer screening be initiated in the United States, but recognized that primary care physicians do not have sufficient training to perform it well.
If screening is attempted by those without sufficient experience, early melanomas may be missed and too many unnecessary biopsies may be performed.